Today’s #BiBABites explores the archaeological excavation of the Anson Street Ancestors. In this study we see the benefits of engaging local communities in our research and learn more about the history of slavery in the United States. #BlackinBioAnth

In 2013 the remains of 36 individuals of African origin were found during the excavation of the GAlliard Center on the corner of George st. and Anson st. in downtown Charleston, SC.

The @GullahSociety worked closely with Charleston's African American community to ensure that the remains were handled and studies with the greatest care and respect.

Skeletal analyses revealed that the Anson Street Ancestors were a diverse group with a broad demographic profile, ranging in age from 6 months to over 40 years old. DNA and tooth chemical evidence was consistent with their ancestries being from Africa.

From 1670 - 1807 149,961 African persons passed through the port of Charleston, SC after being forcibly enslaved and brought to America as part of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Bioarchaeological studies like this are incredibly important because they improve our understanding.

Additionally, organizations like the @GullahSociety , which actively include & inform local communities in their research, are critical to engaging diverse and underrepresented stakeholders in relevant research. The remains of the Anson Street Ancestors were reburied in May 2019

All 36 Anson Street Ancestors were individuals with
distinctive life histories. They were mothers, survivors,
children born in North America, and men who smoked tobacco. They were mourned with coins and adorned with beads in their final resting place by those who remembered them.

To read more about this amazing and extremely critical work make sure to check out this article by Fleskes et. al, 2020 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ajpa.24149 as well as the The Gullah Society, http://www.thegullahsociety.com  and Voyages, S. (2020). https://www.slavevoyages.org/